
Mark Cancian (Colonel, USMCR, ret.) is a senior adviser with the CSIS Defense and Security Department. He joined CSIS in April 2015 from the Office of Management and Budget, where he spent more than seven years as chief of the Force Structure and Investment Division, working on issues such as Department of Defense budget strategy, war funding, and procurement programs, as well as nuclear weapons development and nonproliferation activities in the Department of Energy. Previously, he worked on force structure and acquisition issues in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and ran research and executive programs at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. In the military, Colonel Cancian spent over three decades in the U.S. Marine Corps, active and reserve, serving as an infantry, artillery, and civil affairs officer and on overseas tours in Vietnam, Desert Storm, and Iraq (twice). Since 2000, he has been an adjunct faculty member at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, where he teaches a course on the connection between policy and analysis. A prolific author, he has published over 40 articles on military operations, acquisition, budgets, and strategy and received numerous writing awards. He graduated with high honors (magna cum laude) from Harvard College and with highest honors (Baker scholar) from Harvard Business School.
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Wargaming Nuclear Deterrence and Its Failures in a U.S.–China Conflict over Taiwan
Report by Mark F. Cancian, Matthew F. Cancian, and Eric Heginbotham — December 13, 2024
In the News 8 of 746 results
Ukraine says it's ready to pay up to $50 billion to the US for more air defenses and aid
Mark F. Cancian in Business Insider — April 10, 2025
The West thought mines and artillery were yesterday's weapons. Ukraine showed they were wrong.
Mark F. Cancian in Business Insider — April 9, 2025
Zelenskyy says two Chinese men fighting for Russia captured in Ukraine | DW News
Mark F. Cancian in Deutsche Welle — April 8, 2025
Russia on track to build artillery shell stockpile triple the size of the US's and Europe's combined: top US general
Mark F. Cancian in Business Insider — April 4, 2025
Countries near Russia are pulling out of a decades-old land mine ban as security concerns grow
Mark F. Cancian in Business Insider — April 4, 2025
A Ukrainian drone operator says he texts and FaceTimes manufacturers about his drones. It makes better weapons
Mark F. Cancian in Business Insider — April 3, 2025
As Trump shakes trust in U.S., a hub for F-16 fighter jets braces for impact
Mark F. Cancian in The Washington Post — April 2, 2025
Photo of Russian intercontinental ballistic missile falsely shared as belonging to Ethiopia
Mark F. Cancian in AFP — March 28, 2025
All Mark F. Cancian Content
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Inside DOD’s FY 2026 Budget
The Defense Enterprise Today: Strategy, Structure, and Future Prospects
Trump Restructures the Pentagon Budget: Two Views
Report by Mark F. Cancian and Melissa Dalton — April 16, 2025
The Trump-Putin Phone Call: Some Promise, Some Disappointments, and Many Questions
Commentary by Mark F. Cancian and Maria Snegovaya — March 18, 2025
The Trump-Putin Phone Call: Some Promise, Some Disappointments, and Many Questions
Podcast Episode by Mark F. Cancian and Maria Snegovaya — March 18, 2025

Human Domain Lessons from Russia-Ukraine | Conflict in Focus
Event — March 6, 2025
Is Ukraine Now Doomed?
Podcast Episode by Mark F. Cancian and Chris H. Park — March 4, 2025

Is Ukraine Now Doomed?
Critical Questions by Mark F. Cancian and Chris H. Park — March 1, 2025
Where Is the Missing $100 Billion in U.S. Aid for Ukraine?
Critical Questions by Mark F. Cancian — February 11, 2025
Where Is the Missing $100 Billion in U.S. Aid for Ukraine?
Podcast Episode by Mark F. Cancian — February 11, 2025
